TikTok mom vlogger arrested after posting videos with stolen Target goods

A TikTok momfluencer was arrested for stealing items from Target and identified because of her own social media posts, according to police.

Marlena Velez, 22, stole around $500 worth of goods from a Target in Cape Coral, Fla., by swiping barcodes for cheaper items at self-checkout and bagging more expensive items instead, the Cape Coral Police Department said in a press release.

Cops began investigating on Nov. 20 after receiving a shoplifting alert from Target. The company provided surveillance video of a woman walking out with stolen merchandise.

One day later, the department arrested Velez and posted its own influencer-style Instagram video showing clips from Velez’s alleged activities on Oct. 30. The police video used parts of Velez’s own TikToks, including a “Get Ready With Me” in which she can be seen in the same outfit as the shoplifter.

After posing a photo of the suspect on their social media accounts, Cape Coral police said they received an anonymous tip about Velez being the potential shoplifter, including a link to her Instagram account.

Officers then viewed her videos, including one from an Oct. 30 trip to the Target in Cape Coral, where “Marlena documents herself picking out items inside the store and placing them in her car after exiting the store,” police said.

“Everything was documented, even the outfit she wore,” a Cape Coral officer said in the social media video. “All of that matches” the surveillance video from Target.

Velez has about 350,000 followers on TikTok, where she promotes herself as a mom vlogger. Her Instagram account has since been taken down.

Velez was charged with one count of petit theft and posted bail from Lee County Jail.